From Predicon to Maximal
by optoclaw
Summary: As I lay on the ground, my energon pooling around me, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander to the mech that took me in. "Why sister, why did you betray me?" Predaking asked as he reluctantly raised his claws for the final strike. rated T for possible cursing later on knowing me, and paranoia.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I jumped back when my larger brother snapped at me, his mandibles nearly connecting with my face. We have only been alive for a short time and already he has made himself out as the more dominant one. I may have been released from the tube like structure we were in after him, but that doesn't mean that he is superior to me. However he was much larger and stronger than I was, and I didn't want to see what he would do to me if I didn't obey him. The one eyed bot that created us walked up to us and I finally got a clear look at his paint job, which was purple. I could sense that he didn't like me as well as my brother, for I am much smaller than he is and did not have our race's natural amber optics. My paint job was also unnatural. Instead of the normal black and amber colors of our race, I was turquoise with red highlights. I looked exactly like my brother but smaller and feminine. I looked into the reflection of my brother's armor and saw that there was a bright cobalt blue reflecting off of the sheen in his paint job.

This was the first time that I had really noticed the color of my optics. What I had noticed before was that they were just different than my brother's. Creator put a finger to the side of his head and told someone on what I guessed was some kind of communication peace that he was ready to return. When a green portal opened up behind him he motioned for the both of us to stay until he gave us the key word. He said that we would know it when we heard it. We heard his voice drift through the portal.

"I present to you my liege, the ultimate Autobot hunters." I guess that was our que. We walked through the portal, brother going through first because I didn't want to get hurt. We ended up on the other side at the top of some tower silver tower. The two of us were in the center of a bunch of bot's that looked a lot alike. The biggest one rose from his throne, face plate and body posture shower surprise. My brother gave out an energon curtailing roar as he raised his wings to terrify the bot's even more. Wanting to win my brother over I did the same.

I watched as the tiny look a like's scuttled away in terror as the grey one with enormous wings on his back scuttled backward with a fear filled face plate. From right next to my brother I watched as the large silver one walked towards us as the current conversation about us carried on. He looked directly into my brother's optics saying something that didn't set well with me. The silver one then came towards me and looked directly into my optics. It was as if he could see right through me because of what he said next.

"Shockwave, your second pet seems to be a little, off. Like it does not want to be here, explain." Creator stepped forward and began to speak.

"It seems my lord that this one was slightly defective. Her coloring is off and is not of the more frequent colors of a Predicon. Most would have a variant dark colors, some being rare enough to adorn shade's blue. However, none of the Predicon's that have been bread in the past had a turquoise finish or cobalt blue optics. The insignia on its chest is even different than those before her." I tried to cock my head far enough to the side so I could see the insignia that my creator was talking about.

"It looks as if the 'black sheep' wants to see the insignia in which she was adorned. Soundwave, if you would care to show it what its shield is like." The silver mech stepped aside to let a purple one with no face walk up to me. He looked at my chest for a few seconds before looking back up at me. An image of some kind had appeared on his mask, one of my insignia. I took a good long look at it. It was kind looking, showed that it would not be any threat, made me feel welcome. The silent mech then turned toward my brother to show him. Brother turned toward us far enough for me to see the insignia on his chest. It struck fear into my spark, showed that evil was hidden within, wanted to make me run in fear. It was much like the one that the bot's in front of me held, yet far more sinister than that.

"Thank you Soundwave that will be all." The silver one told Soundwave. After talking about us a while longer we were presented with a small vile of energon.

"Behold, the spilled energon of Wheel Jack." Brother lowered his head down to the vile and looked at it, his optics glowing.

"Let the hunt begin." The silver one said before brother started to stomp around. He then extended his wings and flew away. Creator presented me the very vile in which he had presented brother, and motioned for me to scan it as well. I did, mimicked my brother and then flew after him. I had a feeling that this was going to turn out badly for one of us.

* * *

I am in need of a bit of help. I am looking to those of you out there who actually read my story's to please draw me a cover image. When one of you have come up with one that I like I will display it and hold on to the others until they are needed. Please pm me when you have. Optoclaw out! YOLO SWAG!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was night by this time and far too quiet. My brother hadn't so much as made a squeak since we had left creator and the others. From my point by his side I could see that his head was locked onto the sky ahead, not wavering in the slightest. I sensed that we were pretty close to our target, so I started to focus as well. Beside me brother had tensed up, so I guessed that he sensed this as well. We dropped to a lower altitude and flew into a cloud in front of us.

I tried to even out as best I could in order to stay with my brother. However this was a challenge because I was not yet used to the gravity here. When brother flew up suddenly, so did I. I could spy our target from here. Brother jerked his head to me, motioning for me to fall back. So I did. He flew forward and attacked the small group in front of us, aiming for the white one with red and green highlights. Brother continued to go after the target while I flew down to the ground so that I could rest my wings.

A small organic creature ran up to me just then. I reached my head down to get a better look at what I guessed was a female when a mainly green mech ran up to me and took a swing at my face. I moved my head and he missed. He then called to the small femme behind me.

"Miko stay behind me."

"But Bulk…"

"No but's Miko." He ordered.

"Bulkhead, I don't think that she was going to hurt me." She knew that I was female?

"How do you know that? This… thing could have easily have squashed you."

"Because if she was going to hurt me she would have done it the instant she saw me." The mech opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he couldn't find anything to say. She slowly stepped out from behind him and very slowly stepped up to me, hands raised in a gesture that I easily recognized as 'I won't hurt you'. I slowly reached my head down again to great her. The mech looked even more nervous than before.

"See Bulk, didn't I say that she wouldn't hurt me?" The organic said petting my nose as she looked at her much larger friend.

"How do you know if it is a she?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious? She may be a smaller, turquoise and red version of the other one, but she is far more curvier than he is. She even agrees with me!" The small organic said as I nuzzled her hand. I then heard a roar of rage as my brother came walking up to us. He had a look of rage in his optics. I jumped up to my pedes ready to run. Then I decided that even though we haven't been alive for long, I wasn't going to get pushed around anymore.

Stepping in front of my new friends I gave off a low dangerous growl. Even brother seemed to be startled for a bit before recovering and giving off the same low growl. Apparently what I lacked in size I more than made up for in menace. Then I did what I was dreading since coming online, I began a fire charge. At first I thought that it was going to hurt, but instead it felt more like a familiar warmth that had always been there. With a loud screech I released it at my brother's face. Not knowing that I would do anything like that he was hit dead on. As he stumbled backwards I took the time to throw Bulkhead, who had Miko held protectively in his hands, onto my back and made a run for it, the white one was right there next to us. I looked up when I heard a strange sound and saw that there was a strange flying thing above me. Then a small platform dropped down and the white one climbed aboard. I reached back with my head and pulled both Bulkhead and Miko from my back and sat them onto the lift, which in turn rose taking my friends inside.

As the ship itself rose to escape the wrath of my brother so did I. I turned my head to look back at him when I heard his roar of anger. That was a bad idea that I instantly regretted. His optics were full of hatred and rage. I turned my head back to what lay ahead and flew as fast as my wings could carry me. Every move that the flying thing did I matched, and every move that I did brother matched, the whole time shooting charges at us. Eventually one of his charges hit one of the things keeping the thing in the air. In order to escape brother we flew into a cloud bank. Unknown to me he had landed on top of the thing. When we emerged from the clouds I saw and began to shoot at him. We dropped down into a valley and flew until we got to a dead end. Knowing better than to continue forward I began to rise, however the thing did not. It continued to fly until it got really close to the wall then began its flew along the wall until it got to the top where it flipped over and smashed brother into the side of the cliff face.

I winced a bit before following the thing. I then began to feel a burning pain in my right side. I looked to my right side only to see energon oozing out of an open wound, fresh I might add. Brother must have hit me with a charge during the chase and I hadn't realized it until I began to calm down. I flew close to the see through thing at the front on its right side and peered in side to see a blue mech with silver and red highlights, a cobalt blue femme with pink highlights, and the two mech's that I had meet previously. Another organic was with them, but it wasn't a female like the other. He looked scared to see me until Miko spoke up, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. The femme pointed at me and said something to the blue mech. His blue optics narrowed on me and then moved his head in a manner that told me to climb on top. They must have noticed that I was leaking energon. I maneuvered myself to be above the thing and carefully landed on top, which was a hassle because I had to keep the same speed. But I eventually got it and landed much gentler than I expected to do.

We continued to fly until the sun was just starting to rise. When we were landing I noticed that there was a buried thing off to my left with two more mech's and an organic running out of it. The black and yellow mech motioned for the organic to stay where he was. The two knew bots hadn't noticed me yet. I heard the lift lower and saw as the two organics raced over to the smaller one. As they talked I noticed the sound of yet another flying thing. When I looked up I saw the blue mech run forward and activate two things in his arms. The others yelled at him saying that it was with them. Two more organics climbed out of it and greeted the others. I was listening much closer now.

"Doctor, I realize that we are not in need of repair, but we still need your talents." The blue mech said to the white and orange one.

"Anything Ultra Magnus, now what do you need of me?" Ultra Magnus motioned to me and the old bot looked confused. "You need me to fix your ship? Shouldn't you entrust that job to someone much more capable, like Wheel Jack?"

"It is not the components in my ship that is in need of repair doctor, rather the components in what is atop my ship." I then rose my head and gave off a soft growl. He and the black and yellow one looked startled to see me. I shakily rose to my pedes and jumped down, making the ground quake a tiny bit. Slowly but surely I made my way from the left side of the ship, giving everyone full view of my still leaking wound. Once he saw my wound he immediately came up to me to examine it. He looked like he was about to tell me something, but I already knew. I laid down on my left side and let him do his thing. As he worked I started to feel drowsy and eventually fell into a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I slowly awoke from my slumber to see that it had become night and the others were gone. My wound was healed, but everyone plus what they called a_ ship_ was not there. I was alone. There was no way that I could go back to my brother, especially since he would still be mad at me and the silver bot that was creators master would more than likely command that I be terminated. So I had no other option but to roam this unfamiliar land by myself. But I had thought that I had new friends, especially that little organic femme named Miko. We had taken a liking to each other. She was probably forced to leave me behind.

I got up and started to walk, and as I walked I saw various new surroundings. There were these little green things that had what looked like spikes on them, but didn't hurt me. I figured that if the organics touched them then it would hurt. But I wasn't organic and had no knowledge of the landscape.

There were multiple feelings deep down that I wasn't where I was supposed to be, that I was supposed to be walking apon a metal ground. Not this… whatever it was that felt like it was caking into the joint's in my claws. Eventually I wandered into a place where there were these really tall green and brown things. Not only that but there were tons of new sounds in my new environment. But as I got deeper in the sounds quieted. Apparently the creatures in this dense, hard to maneuver, place didn't like me as well. I raised my snout in the air and caught a familiar sent.

I walked in the direction in which the sent was coming from and stumbled apon a small cave with a blue, crystalline structure right in the entrance. The odd part was that I had never seen this blue crystal before, but knew exactly what it was immediately, energon. I started towards the life giving substance, only to stop in my tracks when I heard an all too familiar screech. My brother descended from the sky above me and landed, blocking my path. I knew that I would barely stand a chance against him even if I was fully energized. But I couldn't take the chance of getting myself hurt yet again, especially since I did not have anybody to repair my wounds this time.

I sensed something different about my brother. He seemed to be low on energy as well since he looked far weaker than usual. That was when I knew that he needed the energon more than I did. Being careful with my movements I turned and stalked off in the direction of another sent of energon. Stealing a quick glance behind me I saw my brother surprised that I did not fight him for the energon. But he turned to feast on his prize anyways.

I followed my sent until I came across a ditch in the ground. It was full of the crystalized energon. Slowly I walked into the ditch, watching my step as well as my flank. Finally I had found myself right next to of the enormous crystals. I reached forward to get a chunk of it when a sudden barrage of red beams started to fly by me. I turned to see the purple and silver guy's that were at the tower with creator and the silver mech. They were being careful where they aimed so as they did not kill us all. Thinking quickly I took shelter behind what was supposed to be my meal. The beam's instantly seized, as I expected. Quicker than I would have wished I bit off several large chunks to sustain me thru the fight. I then began a charge in my chest and quickly stuck my head out from behind the energon to fire at the look-a-likes. I got some of them but for the most part they escaped unscathed.

As I continued to fire at them from my smart yet dumb place to take cover they continued to evade my attacks. But I was out of luck when I heard the charging of some kind of weapon (I guessed it was that). I turned my head to see a large group of the look-a-likes behind me. This wasn't to end out well for me. However just as they were about to fire their charge's at me several blue ones hit them. They were all down instantly. My head swung around the energon that I was hiding behind to see that all of the bot's on the ledge were dead to. I turned back around to see a cobalt blue mech with yellow and silver stripes on his chest walk forward. With my head lowered to be completely parallel with my spine I was barely taller than him ( aka he was his head size shorter).

"You must be that Predicon that I heard about from Miko." How does he know Miko?

"I am not sure if you can understand me but, the name's Smokescreen." He said as he reached out to rub my snout. I nuzzled his hand and returned a small growl of greeting.

"You know, the others said that Predicon's are far too unpredictable to have around base, especially since the kids are staying with us full time now. But you seem to be pretty laid back." He removed his hand from my snout and I growled in complaint.

"Ha ha sorry, but I came here on business." He said before he walked over to some equipment of some kind before setting it up and activating it. It took him a couple of hours before he had liquefied the energon crystals (saving the one that I had munched on for me) and stored them in some kind of cube before reaching up to the side of his head to turn on his talky thing, but stopped before he actually activated it.

"You know, you could help me carry this stuff back to base." He said in a hinting voice. I gave him my species version of a smile before picking up several of the cubes in my jaws and using my wings as an adverse way to hold more. He picked up some then reached for the talker on the side of his head.

"Smokescreen to base, I need a ground bridge back. Plus I might be bringing back a… friend." Over the thing in his head I heard the grumpy old bot. What was his name… Ratchet?

"Right away and what do you mean by '_friend_'?"

"Uh… you'll see when we get back." He said before removing his finger and placing both hands on the stack of cubes in his arms. A green portal opened in front of us and he walked in. Hesitating a tiny bit I followed suit. We arrived in an enclosed space. Everyone was so surprised to see me that their jaws were practically about to fall off. I gently placed the cubes held in my mandibles on the ground and lowered to the ground to allow Smokescreen to remove the expertly stacked cubes from the little cubby made from my wings.

"You brought the other Predicon in base?!" Ratchet yelled at Smokescreen.

"Hey, she hates the cons just as much as the rest of us. When I arrived at the location she was shooting at them." He protested.

"And how do you know that it wasn't just acting to lower you out into the open?!" I growled at the word 'it'.

"Because if _**SHE**_ was then _**SHE**_ would have attacked me as soon as I made myself known." I gave him a soft nuzzle when he corrected the old bot. Ratchet started to say something else but was interrupted by the bulky red and blue bot.

"Ratchet that is enough. While I respect the decision that you and Ultra Magnus made when you first meet… her, she has shown that she is far more trustworthy than previously thought. She made it clear enough by not only attacking the Decepticon's but her male counterpart as well as helping Smokescreen to transport the energon cubes back to base. I am willing to let her stay." Now I get it. Energon + cube= energon cube. But I was happy with what the obvious leader had told the old bot who tried to protest further.

"But Optimus…"

"Ratchet, you may want to save your breath." The cobalt blue femme told him. He only groaned in defeat. She cautiously approached me, unsure if it was a good idea or not. She was much shorter than all of the other bots on base so I had to lower my snout even farther then I would have to with the others. The small femme started to rub my snout still unsure about me. I nuzzled her hand in reassurance and greeting which caused her to smile.

"It looks like the rookie was right. She's nothing like the other one except for looks." I looked over to Ultra Magnus who was eyeing my chest. There was no doubt that he was trying to get a clear at my insignia.

"I can name one other difference." He began as he walked towards me. The mech then pointed at my chest and said, "The insignia in which she carries is not the same as the one that the Predicon the Decepticons controlled had decorating his chest." I lifted my head high enough for the others to get a clearer view.

"So if she isn't a Predicon, then what is she?" Bulkhead asked.

"She is a Maximal." Optimus stated.

"Maximal's were very rare. There have only been five fossilized remains found of this species. All of the other skeletons that were found carried the exact same mark in which Ultra Magnus described on the Predicon."

"What happened to the Maximal's to make them so rare?" The organic with the thing on his snout questioned.

"Before the Maximal's came, there were the Predicon's. So in order for the Maximal's to come into existence they had to be born from a Predicon family." Then Ratchet took over the conversation.

"Scientists speculated that the Predicon's ate the young Maximal's as soon as they hatched because they sensed something odd about them. For the Maximal's that were able to escape their creators and survive it was highly unlikely that they would make it past their youngling stage. If they were lucky then they would more than likely die without producing off-spring, or have their off-spring eaten by the various predators that roamed the land around them."

"The very scientists in whom Ratchet had been speaking about also speculated that the only reason that we had not found more fossils was because Maximal's began to live in packs and hide their nests. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Maybe you weren't able to find more Maximal remains because they developed into modern day cybertronians?" The smallest organic said.

"That is highly unlikely Rafael." Ratchet said.

"Why is that?" Miko asked.

"The reason why there aren't any Predicon's today besides the one that the Decepticon's cloned is because they went extinct in the great cataclysm eons ago."

"What was the cataclysm?" The oldest organic asked.

"I just told you."

"Well, then specify."

"We do not know how they were wiped out, that is why we have learned to say the cataclysm. But if we are going to be living with maximal we must give it… I mean her, a name."

"How about Flareon?" Miko suggested, I just shook my head no.

"Maximus?" Bulkhead asked, again a shake of the head.

"Magma Flare?" came from Arcee with a shake of the head.

"Flame War?" was Ultra Magnus' with a no. Then Smokescreen suggested a name that I liked.

"What about Fire Star?" I sat and thought about it for a few seconds before nodding my head in agreement.

"Then let it be known to all that we now have a new team member, Fire Star welcome to team Prime." Optimus declared. I gave off the best smile that I could.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"And where do you think you're going missy." I cringed at the sound of his voice and lowered my head in annoyance. I turned towards him and raised my wings. He didn't seem to understand until Miko spoke up.

"I think she's trying to tell you that she wants to stretch her wings."

"As in go out and fly?" He surmised.

"Yep," Miko answered.

"Absolutely not!" He declared. I tried to mimic him as best I could while trying to make to throw in a bit of sarcastic body movement.

"Are you trying to mimic me Maximal?"

"Duh," Miko answered.

"You have been around Miko far too much."

"She's only been here for two days!"

"Anyone can learn a lot, right or wrong, in the time span of two days, especially those who haven't been around humans for very long. Besides, if she wants to go out and stretch her wings she can be ground bridged to a more secluded location, like the arctic." I stared at him disapprovingly because I heard a sort of edge in his voice.

"Ratch, remember what almost happened to Optimus and Arcee back at the old base during the scraplet incident?" I tensed when I heard scraplet because I knew how dangerous they were even they were even though I had never seen one up close. Apparently they had both seen this.

"Okay, I didn't know that scraplet's were alive back in Cybertrons more questionable era," Miko said.

"Nor did I," Ratchet admitted. I turned back towards the main entrance when I heard what sounded like what Wheel Jack called an engine on the thin- ship. Optimus lowered down to the ground slowly and deactivated the engines on his back.

"Hello Ratchet, Miko, where are the others?" he questioned.

"Most of them are out with Ultra Magnus scouting grids one through fifty four, Bumblebee took June, Jack, and Raphael to the nearest town for food wanting to drive rather than be bridged, and Arcee decided she wanted to talk to Fowler for some odd reason and they went for a drive so that they can 'chat'. Meanwhile I am stuck here with the likes of Miko and the Predi…" his optics widened in shock when I growled at him dangerously.

"Bad call Hatchet," Miko said.

"**DON'T CALL ME HATCHET!**" All three of us took a good 20 steps back at his out-burst. Even he was surprised at this! "I am sorry for my out-burst, I just don't like being called Hatchet.

"Don't like it? You're way beyond **HATING** it!" Miko quipped. I slowly moved my head up and down in agreement, optics still as wide as… those circle things on the others circle things in their alternate forms. What were they called again, wheels and rims?

"It is true that Ratchet hates the nick-name in which the twins gave him, but it has been a very long time since I had been used to his used to be frequent out-bursts like that."

"How frequent?"

"Every day, sometimes every hour."

"Whoa… that's just…whoa." Now I REALLY nodded my head in agreement. I then remembered what I had originally wanted to do that day. I walked up to Optimus and nudged him with my snout, which effectively got his attention, and raised my wings in the air. He got the hint and nodded his approval. I started to walk to the door when I heard Optimus say, "Ratchet, bridge Fire Star to a more secluded location so that the locals in the nearby town don't accidently catch site of her." I hung my head in defeat. I really wanted to see the outside of the base.


End file.
